Ice shaping device with changeable feature

ABSTRACT

Provided is an ice shaping device having upper and lower mold parts. A mold cavity has an interior surface with a concave portion and is configured to accommodate an ice chunk blank having a volume larger than the mold cavity between the mold parts. An interchangeable mold insert has a selected cross-sectional profile and a first surface that substantially conforms to the concave portion of the interior surface of the mold cavity and extending into the mold cavity to a selected depth.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES

This application is a non-provisional application of provisionalApplication No. 62/695,255, filed Jul. 9, 2018, the disclosure of whichis incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to a device for quickly and easily transformingan irregularly-shaped piece of ice into a uniform shape, such as asphere. More particularly, it relates to a device for quickly and easilymolding a predetermined design, such as a monogram or business logo,onto a shaped piece of ice.

BACKGROUND

Whether for functionality or aesthetics, some prefer to chill a beverageserved “on the rocks” using a relatively large, substantially sphericalpiece of ice. Devices for forming these ice pieces are described in U.S.Patent Application Publication Nos. 2004/0206250 and 2010/0055223. Animprovement on this device is described in my prior U.S. Pat. No.8,882,489, granted Nov. 11, 2014. The entire disclosures of thesepublished applications and my prior patent are incorporated herein byreference.

The device disclosed in my prior patent forms ice into a uniform shape,such as a sphere. Because these ice shapes are often used when serving aspecial drink, and because the process of making the ice form adds tothe experience for the customer or guest, users would like to customizethe ice form with a monogram or a logo. Because of the way the ice formis shaped and removed from the device, any alteration to the sphericalshape must have surfaces substantially parallel to the direction ofmovement of the mold parts, or must be very shallow and superficial.Customizing the interior surface of the mold would be difficult andcostly to manufacture. Moreover, making a custom mold for each designwould be costly and, if customized for a one-time event, would cause themold to be obsolete long before the end of such a durable product'suseful life.

SUMMARY

The present invention provides a device for forming ice from anirregular chunk into a uniform shape, such as a sphere, with areplaceable insert that customizes or personalizes the finished iceshape.

The device provides an ice shaping device having upper and lower moldparts. At least one of the mold parts includes a mold cavity having aninterior surface with a concave portion. The mold parts are configuredto accommodate an ice chunk blank having a volume larger than the moldcavity between the mold parts, the upper mold part being configured tomove toward the lower mold part by gravity. An interchangeable moldinsert is formed to a selected cross-sectional profile and has a firstsurface that substantially conforms to the concave portion of theinterior surface of the mold cavity and extends into the mold cavity toa selected depth. The mold parts and mold insert are formed of amaterial capable of rapidly conducting heat and together having a masssuch that, starting at room temperature, the mold parts and insertpossess sufficient transferable heat to melt away portions of the icechunk blank in contact with the mold parts and insert. The upper moldpart has sufficient mass to apply a significant amount of pressure,under the force of gravity, to portions of the ice chunk blank incontact with the mold parts. The upper mold part is configured to movetoward the lower mold part substantially solely by the force of gravityas portions of the ice chunk blank in contact with the mold parts andmold insert melt away until a remaining portion of the ice chunk blankis shaped in conformity with the cavity and the insert.

Other aspects, features, benefits, and advantages of the presentinvention will become apparent to a person of skill in the art from thedetailed description of various embodiments with reference to theaccompanying drawing figures, all of which comprise part of thedisclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Like reference numerals are used to indicate like parts throughout thevarious drawing figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded isometric view of an ice shaping device accordingto an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectioned isometric exploded view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a partially cut-away side plan view of the device shown with achunk of ice in place and ready for shaping;

FIG. 4 is a similar view showing the mold parts moved together and anice sphere fully formed;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged isometric view of the curved outer side of acustom insert;

FIG. 6 is an inverted isometric view thereof; and

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of a customized ice sphere made from theillustrated device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

With reference to the drawing figures, this section describes particularembodiments and their detailed construction and operation. Throughoutthe specification, reference to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” or“some embodiments” means that a particular described feature, structure,or characteristic may be included in at least one embodiment. Thus,appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment,” “in an embodiment,” or“in some embodiments” in various places throughout this specificationare not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore,the described features, structures, and characteristics may be combinedin any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In view of thedisclosure herein, those skilled in the art will recognize that thevarious embodiments can be practiced without one or more of the specificdetails or with other methods, components, materials, or the like. Insome instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are notshown or not described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of theembodiments.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-3, therein is shown an ice shaping device 10according to an embodiment of the invention. The device 10 comprisesupper and lower mold parts 12, 14, each of which includes respectivemold cavity portions 16, 18. One of the mold parts, in this example, theupper part 12, may include an extended housing 22, which is sized andshaped to substantially surround and slidably receive an externalperiphery of the lower mold part 14. In the illustrated embodiment, theouter periphery of the lower mold part 14 and the inner periphery of theextended housing 22 are both substantially cylindrical. This shape iseasy to manufacture, but other shapes that provide an engageable fit todirect the mold parts 12, 14 in a slidable arrangement relative to oneanother may also be suitable or acceptable.

The exact shape of the upper and lower portions 16, 18 of the moldcavity 20, as well as those of the upper and lower mold parts 12, 14,may vary considerably. As described in my prior U.S. Pat. No. 8,882,489,it is desirable that the length of the extended housing 22 be at leastthe combined depths of the upper and lower mold cavity portions 16, 18.Additionally, at least with respect to the illustrated embodiment, it isdesirable that the length of the extended housing 22 be no more than theheight of the exposed outer surface of the lower mold part 14.

The upper 12 and lower 14 parts of the device 10 are formed from amaterial having a relatively high heat conductivity. A person ofordinary skill in the art would know to select a suitable material, suchas aluminum or similar metal alloy, that balances the desiredcharacteristics of thermal conductivity, machinability, weight, andcost. Additionally, the mold parts 12, 14 should include a significantmass of material for at least two reasons. First, the mass ofheat-conductive material needs to be capable of possessing, preferablyat room temperature, an adequate amount of transferrable heat energysufficient to melt and transform portions of a raw ice block, reducingit to the remaining volume of the mold cavity 20. Second, at least theupper part 12 should have sufficient mass such that, under the force ofgravity and without other applied force, a significant amount ofpressure is applied to the ice block 24 to aid in the melting andreshaping process. As used herein, a “significant” amount of pressure isdefined as enough to contribute to or affect the rate of the melting ofice shaped by the device 10.

With sufficient mass of heat-conducting material, such as aluminum, inthe upper and lower parts 12, 14, the device 10 will effectivelytransform a raw chunk of ice 24 into a selected shape form, such as asphere 26, with the mold parts 12, 14 starting at ordinary roomtemperature. If the device 10 is used repetitively without the masshaving sufficient time to reabsorb heat energy from the surroundingenvironment, one or both of the parts 12, 14 can be quickly andsufficiently re-energized by submersion in warm water or simply holdingit under a flow of tap water for a few moments.

According to an aspect of this invention, a mold insert 28 is providedand configured to fit into one of the upper or lower mold cavityportions 16, 18. In the illustrated embodiment 10, the insert 28 fitsinto the lower mold cavity 18 and is held in position by a stem 30 thatfits into a socket 32 in the lower mold part 14. Referring now also toFIGS. 5 and 6, the mold insert 28 includes a first surface 31 thatsubstantially conforms to the shape of the interior surface of the moldcavity 18 in which it is mounted. In the illustrated embodiment, thesurface 31 is in the shape of a convex portion of a sphere to match thehemispherical shape of the lower mold cavity 18. An opposite surface 31of the insert 28 may be substantially flat or curved, as desired. Theside surface(s) 34 must be either substantially parallel to the axis ofmovement between the mold parts 12, 14 (and to each other) or angled tonarrow from the first, outer surface 31 toward the opposite surface 32of the insert 28. In the illustrated embodiment, the insert 28 is cut toa profile that forms the monogram letters “KPC.” The profile design ofthe insert 28, however, is nearly unlimited and can be customized tonearly any shape, message, or logo. Like the mold parts 12, 14, theinsert 28 is made of a heat transferring material, such as an aluminumalloy, so that it melts away a corresponding volume of the ice chunk 24and leaves an inset or embossed image 35 of its profile in the formedice sphere 26, as shown in FIG. 7. Multiple inserts 28 of varied designcan be used interchangeably with one device 10, or the insert may bepermanently fixed in place.

The device 10 is used by lifting the upper part 12 away from the lowerpart 14, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. A handle 36 integrally formed withor attached to the top or side of the upper part 12 may be used, ifdesired. A chunk of ice 24 or a collection of ice chips is placedbetween the upper and lower parts 12, 14, as shown in FIG. 3.Preferably, the ice chunk 24 is at least as wide and is at least as tallas the combined heights of the upper and lower mold cavity portions 16,18.

Beginning at the position illustrated in FIG. 3, the combined effects ofpressure, due to gravity, and rapid heat transfer will cause portions ofthe ice chunk 24 in direct contact with the upper and lower parts 12, 14and insert 28 to rapidly melt away, leaving in its place a shaped pieceof ice (sphere 26) conforming to the mold cavity portions 16, 18 and theprofile of the insert 28. Melted ice, now water, simply flows away. Forthe sake of convenience, a catch pan 38 can be placed under the device10. Alternatively, the catch pan 38 may be incorporated into or attachedto the lower part 14. The catch pan 38 should be sized to hold thetypical volume of water produced by an ice chunk 24 to be used with theparticular device 10. If desired, flow channels (such as is shown at 40in FIGS. 1-4) can be provided on or in the mold parts 12, 14 or in theextended housing 22 (not shown) to allow water to flow away morequickly.

To facilitate removal of the upper part 12 after the ice chunk 24 hasbeen transformed into its desired shape, a vent hole 42 may be formed inthe upper mold part 12 (shown) or extended housing 22 in order to breakany vacuum that may form between the upper and lower parts 12, 14. Forthe same reason and/or in order to channel water produced by the meltingice and otherwise trapped in the upper or lower portions 16, 18 of themold cavity, a vent channel 44 may be formed in the lower mold part 14from the mold cavity 18 to the exterior, adjacent to or integrated withthe socket 32. After the upper mold part 12 has been lifted away, theformed ice sphere 26 can be lifted from the lower mold cavity 18 andaway from the insert 28.

As shown in FIG. 4, second socket 32 a may be included and also connectto the vent channel 44. In some cases, the stem 30 may block the socket32 and prevent draining. In that case, the second socket 32 a willprovide drainage. In some cases, the shape of the insert 28 may notallow a stem 30 to be positioned at the center and an off-center stem 30(not illustrated) may be provided and use the second socket 32 a to keepthe insert positioned.

While one or more embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed in detail, it should be apparent that modifications andvariations thereto are possible, all of which fall within the truespirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the foregoing is intendedonly to be illustrative of the principles of the invention. Further,since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to thoseskilled in the art, it is not intended to limit the invention to theexact construction and operation shown and described. Accordingly, allsuitable modifications and equivalents may be included and considered tofall within the scope of the invention, defined by the following claimor claims.

What is claim is:
 1. An ice shaping device, comprising: upper and lowermold parts, at least one of which includes a mold cavity having aninterior surface with a concave portion, configured to accommodate anice chunk blank having a volume larger than the mold cavity between themold parts, the upper mold part being configured to move toward thelower mold part by gravity; and an interchangeable mold insert formed toa selected cross-sectional profile, having a first surface thatsubstantially conforms to the concave portion of the interior surface ofthe mold cavity and extending into the mold cavity to a selected depth;the mold parts and mold insert being formed of a material capable ofrapidly conducting heat and together having a mass such that, startingat room temperature, the mold parts and insert possess sufficienttransferable heat to melt away portions of the ice chunk blank incontact with the mold parts and insert, the upper mold part havingsufficient mass to apply a significant amount of pressure, under theforce of gravity, to portions of the ice chunk blank in contact with themold parts; wherein the upper mold part being configured to move towardthe lower mold part substantially solely by the force of gravity asportions of the ice chunk blank in contact with the mold parts and moldinsert melt away until a remaining portion of the ice chunk blank isshaped in conformity with the cavity and the insert.
 2. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the concave portion of the mold cavity interior surfaceincludes a socket and the mold insert includes a stem configured to bereceived by the socket, whereby the mold insert is retained at aselected place in the mold cavity.
 3. The ice shaping device of claim 1,wherein both mold parts include a cavity, each cavity beingsubstantially hemispherical and configured to align when the mold partsare moved together.
 4. The ice shaping device of claim 1, wherein themold parts are formed of an aluminum alloy.
 5. The ice shaping device ofclaim 1, wherein the extension has a length at least equal to a depthdimension of the mold cavity.
 6. The ice shaping device of claim 1,wherein at least one of the mold parts includes a channel to allow watermelted from the ice chunk blank to flow away from portions of the moldparts in contact with the ice chunk blank.
 7. The ice shaping device ofclaim 1, wherein at least one of the mold parts includes a channel toallow the cavity to be vented to break any vacuum formed as the moldparts are separated after forming an ice shape.